My view is that for many religious people the structure of the religion itself helps them almost immeasurably, and for that must be applauded. I just find the whole concept of religion, and religious/irrational belief bizarre - and fascinating.samcdkey said:Almost all the atheists declare that their grievances are against the religion; they do not hate or wish to convert the theists, they merely wish to point out the "irrationalities" of theism to them.
Likewise to judge a person as a serial killer based on the slew of victims they leave behind is flagrant discrimination?samcdkey said:To judge a person as irrational based on their religious beliefs is, in my opinion, flagrant discrimination.
Religious beliefs ARE irrational.
A person is thus IRRATIONAL in the respect of this aspect of their life if they hold such beliefs.
That is not to say that they are utterly irrational in all respects - but how does one know where a religious person will draw the line with their irrationality?
Atheists, taken as the "weak atheist" position of merely lacking a belief in God, does NOT HAVE BELIEFS! They therefore can not believe in the freedom to practice that non-belief.samcdkey said:This when combined with the declaration that atheists believe in the freedom to practice their beliefs is illogical when they refuse to extend the same courtesy to the theists.
See above.samcdkey said:So what is the difference between a fundamentalist theist who wants to force his opinion of religion on an atheist and an atheist who wants to force his notion of rationality on the theists? Are both of them not equally guilty of trespass on the freedom to choose one's beliefs?
Rationality is not a "belief".
Hopefully schoolroom teachers try and teach their pupils to think rationally. Are they then guilty?
Yes, "strong atheists" - those who believe in the non-existence of God - are, IMHO, "guilty of trespass on the freedom to choose one's beliefs". Both sides demonstrate irrationality (with the exception of those "strong atheists" who can clearly define the God that they don't believe in and provide logical rebuttals to that God's existence.)
Misconception.samcdkey said:Another point raised by the atheists is that atheism is superior to theism because it ensures freedom to all; its morality supersedes theism since it is all-encompassing and does not allow for differences between people. This presumes that moral beliefs are common in all atheists.
Morals will not be the same from individual to individual - as we all have wide-ranging experience on which to draw - as well as different levels and types of intellect and, more importantly, different personalities.
However, at a fundamental level I think that they should all be the same for those that live in the same society.
1. You will always get a split decision on this due to the highly emotive nature of the subject-matter. I actually waver between positions: mother's right to own her own body .v. the right of the life within the womb.samcdkey said:So, I would like to know the position of atheists regarding:
1. Abortion
2. Homosexuality and Gay marriage
3. Capital Punishment
4. Immigration
5. Ideal social system ( capitalism, socialism, etc)
What I can say is that no amount of "preaching" or "guidance" from a priest, from books, from religious or scientific people will move me from this undecided state - until such time as I am far closer to the subjet matter.
2. No problem with it at all - and they should have equal rights, expectations and considerations as a heterosexual couple.
3. Do not agree with it at all - for many reasons: irreversibility of the decision, the "easy out" for the criminal, no possibility of repentence etc. I basically think there are far better options.
4. Immigration is an entirely economic decision. Everyone should have the right to choose where they live on this planet, but should expect to abide fully with the laws of the society in which they intend to live - including paying tax etc. Also, the society has a responsibility to ensure the well-being of the current population, and to prevent it from being over-crowded etc.
This is obviously a different matter to Asylum.
5. Ideal social system: "Social Capitalism" - which is basically Capitalism (which does work OK) where everyone is free to pursue their own desires but with the ultimate aim of providing for the social needs of the society. So free education at all levels - free health care at all levels - free utilities (water, gas, electricity etc) to private households etc. Obviously this would require far higher taxation levels than you see at the moment. My view is that this will never work in practice due to the corruption and mess of bureaucracy - such that the additional taxes would be wasted on red-tape and middle management rather than meeting the social needs of the end-user. Just look at the UK NHS as a present day example - where additional funding does NOT equal better service!